1 . Former pro basketball player Kobe Bryant won five NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers while making himself as one of the game’s all-time greats. He died tragically in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020.

Kobe Bryant was born with basketball already in his blood. His dad was a former NBA star Joe “Jellybean” Bryant. Born on August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Kobe spent his early years in Italy, because his dad started playing basketball in Europe and his family moved there. The family moved back to the United States when Kobe was 13 and he started playing high school basketball.

Kobe knew he was already good enough to play in the NBA, so he skipped college and was selected right after high school. He played in the NBA All-Star Game for the first time in 1998 and by 2000, Kobe had developed into one of the best basketballs players. Kobe and Shaquille O’Neal teamed up to lead the LA Lakers to three straight NBA Championship (冠军) Titles from 2000 to 2002.

In 2003, Kobe was caught by the police. In 2004, the case against Kobe was dropped, but Kobe still had to live with a damaged reputation. In 2004, Kobe tried to prove that he could lead the LA Lakers without Shaq. After Kobe told the Lakers he wouldn’t be wearing the purple and gold if Shaq was in the team, O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat before the 2004-2005 season.

In 2008, Bryant was named Most Valuable Player and carried his team to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Boston Celtics. In the 2009 NBA Finals, the Lakers beat the Orlando Magic to win the championship.

Although later seasons were affected by injuries, he surpassed (超越) Michael Jordan for third place on the NBA all-time scoring list in December 2014 and retired in 2016 after scoring 60 points in his final game.

1. Kobe Bryant passed away at the age of _______.

A．37

B．40

C．42

D．45

2. What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Kobe’s blood was special when he was born.

B．All of Kobe’s family members are basketball players.

C．Kobe got a basketball when he was born.

D．Kobe was born to be a basketball player.

3. We can infer from the passage that Kobe was _________ about his own ability to play basketball.

A．upset

B．confident

C．doubtful

D．not confident

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．A Brief Introduction of Kobe	B．How to Become A Basketball Star
C．The NBA All-Star Game	D．The LA Lakers

2 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

In the field of sports there are some famous living legends, such as Lang Ping, and Michael Jordan.

As a player, Lang Ping brought not only honour but also glory to     1     (she) country. As     2     coach, she led the China Women’s volleyball team to medals at world championships as well as the Olympic Games. As a person, she is     3     (love) by fans at home and abroad. Before the 2015 World Cup, she     4     (face) a great challenge — two important     5     (player) had to leave because of health problems. However, Lang Ping didn’t lose heart and she led her volleyball team     6     (win) the championship.

Known as “Air Jordan”, Michael Jordan changed basketball with his graceful moves and jumps. Jordan’s skills were impressive but the mental strength     7     (make) him unique. The secret to his success is learning     8     his failures. In life, Jordan has learnt to share his     9     (succeed) with others. The Boys and Girls Club     10     he started in Chicago has been helping young people since 1996.

3 . The death of soccer legend Diego Maradona has shocked fans worldwide and drawn an outpouring of grief. Maradona, 60, died of a heart attack on Nov 25,2020.

Argentina's president, Alberto Fernandez, declared three days of national mourning upon Maradona's death. "You took us to the top of the world," he wrote on the social networking platform Twitter, "and you were the greatest of Indeed, Maradona lived a life that showed that soccer at its peak can have passions that move entire nations. He was a man who was deified (奉若神明)in Argentina and the Italian city of Naples.

Maradona reached legendary position during the 1986 World Cup in Mexico after scoring two winning goals against England in the quarterfinal. That was a redemption (救赎)for the nation, which was defeated in a war over territory (领土)conflict by the UK just four years earlier. But his magic didn't stop there. At a time when teams were largely domestic, Maradona became the first truly global soccer superstar. Before his arrival in Napoli in 1984 they never won the Serie A title. The city took him in, regarding him as the man to bring back pride and respect to Naples. The club won the championship for the first time ever in the 1986-87 season.

Magician though Maradona may have been, he was deeply human, thus deeply flawed. He appeared in newspapers more for his drug habit than for his soccer skills in the late 1990s. After he played his goodbye game in 2001, Maradona stated, "The ball does not show the dirt."

As a symbol and idol he shone brighter than any other athlete in the last century. Argentina and Barcelona star Lionel Messi wrote, "He leaves us but does not leave, because Diego is eternal (不朽的)

1. Why was Maradona regarded as "the greatest of all"?

A．Because he was an international superstar.

B．Because he played soccer to the death of his life.

C．Because he lit the passion that moved the country with his soccer life.

D．Because he won back the territory tor the country after the 1986 World Cup.

2. What does the underlined word "flawed" in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Imperfect.

B．Athletic.

C．Noted.

D．Influential.

3. What do we know about Maradona from the passage?

A．He was a perfect human respected by people.

B．He built his legendary status in soccer in his 20s.

C．He was a great soccer player as well as a magician.

D．He was the brightest soccer star in the 19th century.

4. Which could be the best title for the text?

A．The Rise of a Superstar.	B．The Biography of a Soccer Player.
C．An Intense Soccer Match.	D．Passing of a Legend.

4 . A student with the nickname of "Silo" from University of Wisconsin is eating his way through school competitively. For the time being, Eric Dahl ranks third in the world of competitive eating, which is determined by All Pro Eating rankings, though he once held the top spot. So far Dahl has earned more than 18,000 dollars in prize money or merchandise to help pay for his education.

"I'm eating for my education," Eric Dahl said in a proud tone. "I think it will help me get through and achieve my success in my education."

Dahl was drawn to competitive eating in 2011, at the former Big Red's Steakhouse in Madison. Dahl didn't want to pay for his meal so he signed up for a challenge: eat a three-pound cheese-steak sandwich in less than 10 minutes and skip the bill. He finished his eating within 5 minutes and 50 seconds.

Dahl's first pay came from Dickey's Barbecue Pit in suburban Minneapolis, where he earned $250 for eating nine pulled pork sandwiches within six minutes. The former high school athlete found the competition and its over-the-top atmosphere reminding him of professional wrestling.

"I really get pumped when the crowd starts cheering," he said, "I am friends with other competitive eaters, but once I'm on stage I don't have any friends but we have become opponents."

Dahl said he walks a few miles a day, lifts weights twice a week and plays soccer and hockey to maintain his 220-pound weight. He eats no more than 3,100 calories a day, mostly vegetables to avoid increasing his waistline, and stretches his stomach by eating 10 pounds of cabbage or broccoli in a single sitting followed by a lot of water.

His next bout is scheduled for this Saturday. Dahl will try to win $1,000 at a national pizza-eating contest on Library Mall at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Good luck to him and let's wait for his good news.

1. Why did Dahl first participate in competitive eating?

A．There were some delicious sandwiches.	B．He didn't want to pay for his meal.
C．He could eat some sandwiches quickly.	D．He had no money to pay for his meal.

2. Dahl trains for competitive eating through the following ways EXCEPT       .

A．drinking plenty of wine	B．doing some sports
C．eating large amounts of vegetables	D．stretching his stomach scientifically

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．The highest award will be no more than $ 1,000.

B．The competitive eating is concerned with vegetables.

C．Dahl will continue his competitive eating this Saturday.

D．The author believes Dahl will win the eating competition.

4. What is the main idea of this passage?

A．Dahl makes a fortune by competitive eating.

B．Dahl ranks third in the world of competitive eating.

C．Dahl makes good preparation for pizza-eating contest.

D．Dahl earns for his education through competitive eating.

5 . At 10 am, I was sitting in a large hotel. I got to meet my _______, Tony Hawk. I woke up early in the morning. I was excited but also a little _______. Tony Hawk was considered to be one of the most successful pioneers of modern skateboarding and I had _______him since I first saw him on television. I left my home _______what it would be like to meet him. I arrived at Tony’s hotel and _______two teens. I learnt that they were also Tony’s fans and would attend this interview. _______, we had taken part in the same group — the world was small. After a short talk, we started to _________, going over all the questions we would ask Tony.

Shortly after we ___________and organized the most important questions, there was a knock at the door. I started to _______. I could not get over the __________that I was about to meet the best skateboarder. Tony Hawk walked in and sat down. I was very nervous ________somehow was able to introduce myself. He was ________and gave us honest answers to all our questions.Throughout the interview I kept ______________, wow, he was so cool. Most people in his position might be proud but he was____________down-to-earth (朴实的). He also told us if we never____________and worked hard, our dreams would come true.

After the interview, he left. He was __________because he had to attend an important meeting. I was so happy to have had this ________to interview this great skateboarder, who had got so many ________in the world. I would never forget this __________and could not wait to get home and __________it with my family and friends.

1.

A．teacher

B．hero

C．friend

D．guide

2.

A．puzzled

B．frightened

C．nervous

D．sad

3.

A．recognized

B．missed

C．admired

D．called

4.

A．warning

B．doubting

C．proving

D．wondering

5.

A．came across

B．looked after

C．turned to

D．watched out

6.

A．Hopefully

B．Amazingly

C．Finally

D．Obviously

7.

A．leave

B．perform

C．move

D．work

8.

A．answered

B．picked

C．threw

D．faced

9.

A．ask

B．shout

C．shake

D．laugh

10.

A．project

B．suggestion

C．fact

D．news

11.

A．but

B．as

C．so

D．and

12.

A．shy

B．simple

C．friendly

D．cold

13.

A．discussing

B．thinking

C．guessing

D．reporting

14.

A．partly

B．hardly

C．normally

D．really

15.

A．continued on

B．gave up

C．turned up

D．came back

16.

A．busy

B．quiet

C．lonely

D．stressed

17.

A．excuse

B．reason

C．chance

D．plan

18.

A．smiles

B．gifts

C．friends

D．awards

19.

A．game

B．idea

C．experience

D．lesson

20.

A．replace

B．share

C．exchange

D．spread

6 . Muhammad Ali was raised in a small home in Louisville, Kentucky. From those humble beginnings neither he nor any observer at that time could have forecast the path he would carve through life. He was a Golden Gloves champion at age 17, an Olympic gold medalist at age 18, and an undefeated heavyweight champion at age 22.

His fighting career began when, spurred by the theft of his prized new bicycle, he was out to get the person responsible. Ali was releasing his anger at the local gym, when the sharp-sighted policeman Joe Martin suggested, “You'd better learn to box first.” And he did. And before his career in the ring ended, the world would know his name as the man crowned heavyweight champion three times--- the greatest.

Outside of athletics, too, Ali never gave up standing up for what he believed in the 1960s, he took his conviction for draft evasion(拒服兵役) all the way to the Supreme Court, which overturned his conviction in 1971. He used his words as well as his fists, recording two spoken-word album and an R&B song and earning two Grammy nominations(提名奖); writing two autobiographies; and acting in several films and a Broadway musical.

Eventually, his greatest fight was not in the ring. After being the world’s toughest human opponents, it was Parkinson’s disease that would prove to be his final enemy. In true Ali style, he met this challenge head on. Instead of shrinking from this difficulty, he stepped onto the world stage once more as a champion. His tireless work raising money to fight this terrible disease inspired thousands and endeared him to a new generation of admirers around the world even beyond his death in 2016. As he was in the ring, he remains in our eyes---- the greatest.

1. Why are the age mentioned three times in the first paragraph?

A．To show Ali’s talent in boxing.	B．To list Ali’s great titles.
C．To tell Ali’s humble beginnings.	D．To prove observer’s foresight.

2. Ali had several different roles in his life. What are they?
① athlete   ② civil rights activist ③ film director ④ Grammy award winner

A．①②③④

B．①②④

C．①②③

D．①②

3. What’s “the true Ali style”?

A．Giving in to obstacles.	B．Solving problems by fist.
C．Facing challenges directly.	D．Working tirelessly to raise money.

4. Which might be the best title for the passage?

A．His Biggest Fight Yet Isn’t in the Ring

B．The Greatest Boxer in American History

C．From a Poor Boy to a World Champion

D．A Fearless Warrior Against Parkinson

7 . 语法填空

On Feb 22nd, 2018, Chinese skater Wu Dajing became the first Chinese man     1     (win) an Olympic short track gold medal,     2    (claim) China’s first gold medal at the Pyeongchang Games. And on Nov 11, Wu Dajing, 24, set     3    new world record. It took him just 39.505 seconds to finish the men’s 500-meter race at the 2018 Short Track World Cup,     4    took place in Salt Lake City, US.

Shaoang Liu, who competed against WU at the World Cup,     5    (shake) his head in disbelief after the race. “It’s     6    (true) lucky to have been in a world record race,” Liu said. “The rest of us are all on a certain level but Wu is just, like, ‘up here’.” Indeed, every time Wu skates, he leaves his     7    (compete) behind within seconds. Wu is untouchable, not only for dominating his sport, but also for his unusual     8     (high) (182cm, tall for a short tracker).

Wu owes his success     9    his self-discipline. He started to skate at the age of 10. He got up at 4 am every day to practice. He never     10    (eat) meat or has carbonated drinks, even though he loves cola very much. Only once has Wu broken his self-made rule once-just after his win at the Winter Olympics.

8 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

There are three children in Bryant’s family. Kobe Bryant is the       1     (young) child and only son of Joe and Pam Bryant. His parents named him       2       a kind of steak: the famous beef of Kobe, Japan, which they saw on a restaurant menu. At       3     age of six, Kobe, his parents and two older sisters moved to Italy,       4     his father began playing professional basketball. He became accustomed to the lifestyle and became fluent in       5     (Italy). At an early age, he learned to play soccer and his favorite team was AC Milan. Bryant once said that if he     6    (stay)in Italy, he would have     7    (stick)with soccer and would have tried to become a professional soccer player. In 1991, the Bryants moved back to the United States. In the Philadelphia suburb of lower Merion high school, a spectacular high school career brought national     8    (recognize). Although his SAT score of 1080 guaranteed him various basketball scholarships from top universities, the 17-year-old made a controversial     9     (decide)to enter the NBA     10     (direct).

9 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入 1 个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Kobe Bryant is a famous basketball player. His talent can     1    (see) not only on the court, but also in his writing.     2    book The Wizenard Series: Training Camp came out in March.

The story is     3    the West Bottom Badgers, a youth basketball team. It’s made up of five books, with each     4    (focus) on the story of one character: Rain, Twig, Cash, Peno and Lab. All of the kids on this team come from a poor neighborhood. No one     5    (have) faith in the kids to succeed,     6    things change after a new coach joins the team.

After reading the book, we got to interview Bryant. He said he didn’t think he was going to be an author, but that he often tells stories to his daughters. This is one of the     7    (reason) he wrote his own book. The book is based on parts of Bryant’s real-life experience,     8    (especial) when he played for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Bryant had two different jersey numbers - 8 and 24 - during his career.     9    number 24 means you need to work hard 24 hours a day     10    (succeed).

Our final thoughts on Bryant — he is cool and very funny.

10 . When Jenny Benson was eight, her mother took her to soccer practice for the first time.

“She’s never played soccer before,” Mrs Benson told the coach.“I’m not sure how she’ll do.”

Jenny ran onto the field and joined the other players. Over the next hour, Mrs Benson and the coach watched as Jenny out­ran many of the more experienced players.

“I knew then that soccer would be Jenny’s sport.” Mrs Benson recalls. And she was right.

It may have helped that Jenny had spent much of her time trying to keep up with her three brothers.“I wanted to be just like them,” Jenny says.“My family has inspired me for my entire life.”

Jenny has retired from the United States women’s national soccer team. She started out on her professional career in the Philadelphia Charge, a team in the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA)．Later on, she joined FC Energy Voronezh, and then New Jersey Wildcats.

When the WUSA was being formed, league officials watched many college soccer games, looking for players good enough to join the league. They were very interested in Jenny, who played for the University of Nebraska.

“Throughout that college season, I knew I was being watched,” Jenny says, “I knew I couldn’t be perfect, so I just tried to be very consistent and have fun.”

As a professional, Jenny relied on her focused but fun­loving attitude. “In a game, I try never to put too much pressure on myself. The more I concentrate on having fun, the better I play.” She says. “I have good and bad days, just like everyone else, but I know the sun will always come up after a bad day. So all I have to do is to adjust myself, either to the change of my inner feelings or to the change of circumstances.That helps me get through anything.”

1. What can we learn from Jenny’s first soccer practice?

A．She was not sure how to play soccer.

B．She was gifted in playing soccer.

C．She was instructed by the soccer coach.

D．She was more experienced than other players.

2. Which professional team did she first play for?

A．New Jersey Wildcats.

B．FC Energy Voronezh.

C．The University of Nebraska.

D．The Philadelphia Charge.

3. Which of the following can best describe Jenny?

A．Talented but impatient.

B．Confident and considerate.

C．Concentrated and adaptable.

D．Absorbed but self­centered.

4. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．How Jenny developed her soccer career.

B．Why Jenny retired from the national team.

C．How Jenny’s brothers influenced her career.

D．What made Jenny a good soccer player.